The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law has named Arturo Thompson as the institution’s new assistant dean of the Career Development Office.
Thompson joins the CDO team at a critical time. The office is a key part of the law school charged with offering career-related skills training and education to law students and alumni.
The office provides students and alumni one-on-one counseling for resume and cover letter review and job search strategies in addition to mock interviews, classroom presentations, career fairs and many other events. Students and employers are connected through job postings and on-campus recruiting in the fall and spring. The office’s growing alumni and mentor networks serve as resources for students seeking employment in particular practice areas, organizations or regions.
Since 2011, Thompson has served in the KU Law Career Services Office at the University of Kansas School of Law. In that position, Thompson excelled with this mission of transforming the office into one of the leading career offices in the nation, said S.J. Quinney College of Law Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner.
“Under his leadership, the office built a culture of innovation, launching programs like the Rural & Solo Practice Program, the Traveling On-Campus Interview Program, and 24 Hours of Wichita,” said Kronk Warner. “He also worked with faculty to establish a highly successful Judicial Clerkship Committee, and launch the 2L/3L Orientation program. Arturo redefined the role of the CSO in terms of outreach to alumni and employers, expanding student opportunities across the region and nation, while also supporting the efforts of the admissions office, endowment and others.”
Kronk Warner noted that Thompson has been an active member of professional and bar organizations, developing connections that benefited KU Law and other institutions. He received the Service Excellence Award for his work on the ABA/NALP workgroup charged with codifying the rules for employment data collection, and was invited to join the Leadership Competencies workgroup with the Holloran Center at St. Thomas University. He was also the founding president of the Federal Bar Association Chapter for the Districts of Kansas and Western Missouri, along with being an active member of the KBA and KCMBA.
His first day at the S.J. Quinney College of Law will be Oct. 14. 